Safety-razor.



M. B. &. L. B. STEARNS.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4. I915.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Mlifiita r 71 a manco nraoN srmaNs'ANn mortar STEARNS, or HUNTINGTON amen.

. p CALIFORNIA. y

SAFETY-RAZOR.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

' 3 Application filed February 4, 1915. Serial No. 0,099.

To all whom it may concern: g Be it known that we, Manoo B. S'raa ms and Leo B. STEARNS, citizens of the United States. residing at Huntington Beach, in thecounty of Orange and State of California, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

Our invention relates to improvements 1n safety razors and has for its object to 1mprove upon the construction of devices of this character to such an extent as to allow the same to much more easily perform their work, yet to provide a device which Wlll be comparatively inexpensive and which may be easily manufactured.

lVith the above in view, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein: 25

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a razor constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view-taken at right angles to Fig. 1; Fi 3 is a vertical section cut longitudinally through the handle and transversely through the supporting plate and through the blade; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the type of blade shown in the above described figures; and, Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views showing blades of slightly different construction.

In this drawing, constituting a part of the application, the numeral 1 designates a blade supporting plate which is decreased in thickness at one edge as seen at 2 and rovided with a plurality of comb teeth 3 on said edge, the opposite edge of said plate being here shown as integrall connected to one end 4 of an arched plate 5, the opposite end 6 of said plate being provided with an internallv threaded ferrule 7. One end of this ferrule is disposed contiguous to the in ner side of the plate 1 as most clearly disclosed in Fig. 3, while its other end abuts one end of a hollow handle 8 provided with a threaded boss 9 which is inserted into said ferrule.

Disposed within the handle 8 is an appropriate type of electric motor 10 from which the twisted current conducting wires 11 lead outwardly through a removable cap 12 with whichthe free end of the handle is equipped. The shaft 13 of the motor 10 projects revolubly through and beyond the boss 9 and is provided with a crank 14. This crank 14, or rather the wrist-pin 15 thereof, is disposed between a pair of parallel'transverse ribs 16 with which the inner side of a safety razor blade 17 is provided, this blade being here shown as contacting with the inner side of the supporting plate 1 and as being slidably supported by said plate by the provision of a longitudinally extending undercut rib or key 18 formed on the blade and slidably received by a longitudinally extending undercut groove or channel 19 formed in the inner side of said plate 1.

The blade 17, above described, is most clearly disclosed in Fig. 4, this blade having a rectilinear cutting edge 20 which is disposed for co-action with the comb teeth 3. The type of blade employed, however, may vary as disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6, for instance, in Fig. 5, the blade 17 is provided with cutting teeth 20 on its cutting edge, these teeth being adapted for co-action with the comb teeth 3, while in Fig. 6 a blade 17 is illustrated as having a serpentine cutting edge 20", this edge being likewise adapted for co-action with the comb teeth 3. The last described form of blade, is probably the most eflicient of the three, since it provides a shearing cut, or in other words the active cutting edge of the blade is drawn diagonally across the hair being shaved.

In applying the device to use, a plug 25 with which the wires 11 are equipped is engaged with an ordinary electric light socket, and the switch of the latter is turned on, thereby setting the motor 10 in operation to actuate the crank 14:, the wrist pin 15 of the latter now operating between the ribs of whichever blade is employed to rec iprocate such blade longitudinally. During this reciprocatory movement, it will be understood that the rib 18 and groove 19 slidably support the blade and will not allow removal thereof until the ferrule 7 is removed from the handle after which said blade may be moved longitudinally to remove its rib or key from the groove, thus allowing the various parts of the device to be readily cleaned and sterilized.

Particular emphasis is laid upon the provision of the undercut rib and groove, in combination with driving means which,

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

when in o eration, will prevent. excessive longitudinal movement of the blade, since by this structure, it is unnecessary to provide any other means for preventing removal of the -'blade. Emphasis is likewise laid upon the construction of the blade 17" for the reasons above set forth.

In the preceding, we have described the rib 18 as formed on the razor blade, and have shown and described the groove formed in the supporting plate, but it will be evident that the device could easily be constructed by reversing the disposition of these parts. The structure shown, however, is preferable since the blade is reinforced by the rib, whereas it would be weakened by the provision of a groove.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that a very simple article has been provided for carrying out the object of the invention, yet that such device possesses a number of novel and advantageous features.

We claim:

A safety razor comprising a supporting plate having comb teeth on one edge and tapered toward said toothed edge, said plate having formed in its lower face a longitudinally extending guide groove having undercut side walls, a downwardly and forwardly extending arched plate integrally joined to the opposite edge of said supporting plate, an internally threaded l'errule integrally formed on said arehed plate, said ferrule having one of its ends disposed contiguous to one llat fare of the supporting plate. a razor blade eontaetlng with said llat face and having its sharpened edge d sposed l'or coacting with the comb teeth, a longitlulinally extending reinforcing and guiding rib having undercut side walls and formed integrally with said blade mounted to slide in said guide groove, whereby the razor blade is removably retained in position, a pair of spa ed parallel transverse reinforcing ribs formed integrally with the under side of said razor blade, a hollow handle having one ol? its ends reduced and threaded into said ferrule. said reduced end having formed therethrough a bearing, a rotatably driven crank shalt mounted in this bearing and having its free end projecting beyond said bearing and between said spaced parallel transverse ribs.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARCO BYRON STEARNS. LEO BURT {"IICARNS. Witnesses:

C. E. LEVERING, LOUIS A. CRONK. 

